A Twist of Fate
by CaptainS10
Summary: Her tongue slipped. Only once, but that was enough, and oh, were there repercussions. But she didn't know how to fix it. Could it be fixed? If she tried, what would happen to them in the process? He'd already threatened her. Was it a white lie like she had accused him of being capable of doing? Or an empty threat? She didn't want to find out. Dark. Evil Arty. Rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again.**

**I swear I'm still alive. Still writing. Still here. I just ... never ... have time ... to update! Grr. And of course there's the fact I have a million plot bunnies dancing around my head, so there's more to divert my attentions everyday. I'm trying to sort out my priorities, swear.**

**Now that Christmas is over, but my break isn't, I'm going to be using as much time as possible of what I have left off to write and update as many of my profiles and as many stories as I can. This also includes on FictionPress and FanGathering and my other accounts on here. So, be on the look out for that.. if you're actually a fan, that is. You can stick to my FFs if you aren't looking for original things. It's just easier than coping with the flames. **

**So... this. Short, on the spot, and I didn't even have a title for this until like three minutes ago when I made it up off the top of my head. I've had this in storage and figured while between the holidays Christmas and New Years, I should start posting some stuff, as like late/in between/early gifts. This is just the prologue, so it's short, and no guarantees on updates of this over the break unless I get some really demanding fans. Which I doubt will happen unless its demanding for me to take this down. **

**Anyway... yeah.. to the story. Enjoy! :)**

_Prologue_

His words made her heart shatter.

Hell... She loved him too, so much, but she couldn't admit that. She wasn't sure why, she just... Couldn't.

But she also couldn't tell him no just because.

The words rolled off her tongue; the lies weren't exactly truthful, because, well, she was lying, wasn't she? But they came out mostly smooth, to her credit.

"I can't love you. I don't love you, Artemis. I'm sorry, it is was it is."

"It's a lie."

"It isn't."

"It is. I can tell." His eyes gleamed - hurt and pain glowing in them, making them glaze over as water coated his eyes and he blinked several times to hold it in. "You don't have to agree to be with me, Holly, but don't I at least deserve the truth?"

She snorted, and then, unbidden, the words flew from her mouth. "How hypocritical, coming from you. You're the biggest, best liar I know - behind maybe Opal."

He flinched visibly, and instantly she felt bad. Opal hated him as much as she hated Holly. She was evil; his enemies for gods' sake! Why had that come out of her mouth? All she managed to do was hurt him more - that much was visible.

"I am _nothing _like Opal," he whispered, clearly shocked by this turn of events. _What the hell was she thinking_?

And her next statement just made it worse. "Are you sure?"

His jaw dropped. "You think that of me? Really? After everything?"

She didn't get that chance to reply. She was lost in thought, mortified at her own words, but she couldn't even say they weren't true. She meant it. But she shouldn't have said it. _Hell, I just dug the grave for our friendship... _

He stood up, placing his hands on the surface of the table. "Fine then. You want me to be like Opal? I'll be like Opal. Get the hell out, and don't come back unless you plan on becoming a permanent guest here. And I'm not talking about living in the guest room."

Then he stormed out, shutting the door behind him and going to his study. He locked himself in and didn't look back at her, didn't even wait for her to leave.

But leave she did. There was nothing else left to do... or was there?


	2. Chapter 2

**Long time no update. So sue me. :P**

**I was surprised how many people really wanted more of this story, and if that still stands, I promise I will move it to top priority list and try to get it updated. While I'm thinking about it, as there anything else you guys really want updated?**

**Also, this chapter is dedicated to shaadiaThePrincessofWeird. MI2 is next, promise. This was just faster to finish. :)**

Chapter 1

She resisted the urge to sob the whole way back down to Haven. She wanted to, badly, _so_ badly, to give into the urge, but then everyone would know something was wrong. And she didn't want everyone to know - especially not everyone. The bombarding she would be sure to get would probably make her head explode at that point. She wasn't altogether sure that it wouldn't explode anyways.

She had lost her best friend.

It took most of the ride for what had actually happened to sink in, but the hurt was there long before that. Her heart was ahead of her head - a common problem for her - but this time, it was on something that seemed more severe than it was. It felt like it was worse than Turnball, the B'wa Kell, hell, even Opal…

Opal… Frond help her, but Holly hated that pixie, now more than ever. And then, as she slowly let her anger eat away her sadness and hurt, the feeling overwhelmed her. She might have lashed out at something had the thought not popped into her head, but once it did, the fight and the fury both rushed out of her as she fell in a heap back into her seat. _I wonder if Artemis feels the same way right now..._

And there it was. _He _was. In her thoughts even though right now she should probably be trying her hardest to forget about him. In due time she would. But now she needed to mourn, and the urge could be controlled no longer. She broke out into sobs, and, as the shuttle landed, she let it park itself and climbed out, running towards her flat as fast as she could with her head down. She didn't even bother to clock out or let anyone know she was back.

oOoOoOoOoOo

She went straight home, but it only aroused much suspicion. Foaly was the first at her door the next morning.

She refused to answer the door, but what she didn't consider was that Foaly had designed her locks - he could deactivate them and get in without batting an eye. As a result, she came out from getting her coffee to find the centaur sitting in her living room.

"Not coming to work today?" he asked dryly.

Holly's eyes widened, and she quickly ducked her head and headed for her room.

"Yeah, I, um, don't feel so good today.. I'm staying home," she said uncomfortably, not looking up. It wasn't technically a lie; the sadness and fear that were curdling in her stomach were making her physically sick.

"Oh, really. And you didn't even bother to call in?"

"I..." She sighed and mentally cursed herself. He was right, she hadn't. She should have known he'd show up when she didn't - him or Root, anyway. "Look, I forgot, okay? I'm sorry. I'm going back to bed now."

She made to scurry off, but he grasped her by the arm and turned her towards him, stopping her. "Look, I know something happened with Artemis," Foaly said, dropping the pretense. "I need to know what's going on to help though."

Holly closed her eyes and swallowed, then jerked away from him and sunk down in her chair. "There's no helping us this time, Foaly," she said quietly, after a minute. "I messed up big time."

The centaur sighed and shook his head, flopping down in the chair opposite her. "It couldn't have been anything worse than what he's done to you before," he said as he settled in beside her. "I mean, really. What could top kidnapping you, lying to you, almost costing you your job, not to mention your _life-_"

Holly wasn't listening. She was staring at a picture on her mantel. It was of her and Artemis, from not that long ago, either. It hadn't really been taken with consent from either of them - it was a clip Foaly hijacked from security footage of them together, during the whole catastrophe with the C-Cube thing, but she couldn't bring herself to care - it was a picture, with them both in it, and that in itself was enough for her now.

"I topped that," Holly finally said, sullenly, not even caring that Foaly was still speaking. "Gods, Foaly, I hurt him bad enough he threatened to abduct me again and threw me out. Artemis! And he threw me out!" She dropped her head into her shaking hands, attempting to blink away tears.

Foaly sighed and got up from his chair, moving to stand over her and place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Tell me what happened," he said quietly, pulling her close and cradling her against his side.

The tender gesture was nearly enough to make her break completely. Holly lifted her head from her hands and swiped her sleeves over her wet eyes. "He-" Holly started to say, but then she had to stop and clear her throat before she could continue. "He called me up because he said he needed to talk to me, and that it was important. I was so worried something was wrong… I rushed up there. You should know that much - you gave me the visa." Foaly nodded solemnly, so she went on, rubbing her eyes. "He.. He told me he loved me," she whispered, her voice trembling. "And I told him that I didn't love him. And he didn't believe me, which I suppose was fair considering I _was_ lying, but Foaly, you know it would never work and I just was trying to keep us both from getting hurt-"

"Holly," Foaly interrupted. He squeezed her shoulder again, a bit harder this time. "Take some deep breaths, then continue. I get why you're so upset, but-"

"No, you don't, because I didn't get to finish!" Holly half-yelled at him, but she was sobbing to hard for it to really have any vehemence behind it. She took a breath. "I had to make him believe I was telling the truth, and I just… I was trying to figure out how to make him believe it. The first thing that I thought of was Opal… and she popped into my head and then just kinda came out of my mouth." She looked down, ashamed and unable to meet his eyes anymore.

Foaly sighed and hugged the elf to him, letting her bury her head in his horsey side and cry until she finally ran out of tears. Eventually her sobs subsided and she relaxed against him, still trembling and sad, but no longer crying. Her head ached as she pushed herself back off of him.

"I'm a horrible person," Holly mumbled. "I broke his heart and then turned around and compared him to his mortal enemy. I said he was just as bad as Opal… if not implied that he was worse. Artemis! Just like Opal!"

Foaly patted her shoulder. "He has his moments," he said slowly, "But I agree. That was wrong of you. I understand why you said it, but...he won't. It's no wonder he threw you out. Anger is a much easier emotion to manage than pain." He pushed her back gently, pushing back her hair and meeting her now bloodshot eyes. "Just give him a few days, Holly. Let it sink and let him cool down. I'll get you a visa for a refill this weekend, since it's a full moon. Root won't question it. You can go see him then."

Holly looked away. "What if it's not enough time and he's still mad?"

"Then he's still mad. Explain it to him, Holly. You can make him calm down." He squeezed her shoulder. "What do you think the worst that will happen is? He could abduct you and throw you back in the cell, but it's Artemis. He'd come to his senses within a day, and if he doesn't...I'll keep you linked in. We can track you and go in and get you."

Holly sighed and looked down, nodding slowly. She could think of a lot of ways that his idea could go wrong. Not that she wanted to, but it was like Artemis had once told her: plans don't always translate smoothly from paper to reality. She flinched at the thought and sat back. "You're right," she told Foaly hoarsely, even though she wasn't entirely sure he was. "I'll just give him and few days and go sort it out once he's calmed down."

"That's a girl." He squeezed her shoulders. "Stay home and get some rest. I'll take care of Root. Sort yourself out. If you can't come tomorrow, just give me a call."

Holly nodded and looked at her coffee. "Okay. Thanks, Foaly."

The centaur nodded and left.

Holly waited until she was sure he was gone, then went and dumped out her coffee. She made tea instead, going and settling back down in her armchair. She stared into it until it got blurry, then laid back and closed her eyes, her chest aching. She missed Artemis already. Was he as miserable as she was? Was he in as much pain as her, locked away in solitude and suffering?

She sat up. He probably was. Truth be told, she was wasting her time by waiting, wasn't she? She now had two whole days off work guaranteed, and Artemis probably wasn't doing anything either. He tended to sulk in solitude on good days. She should just go see him now, and clear it up, and end both of their suffering...assuming they could both keep it together for long enough.

Holly nodded to herself, getting up and going to get dressed. Ten minutes later, barely thrown together in a pair of old jeans and a purple turtleneck, Holly slipped on her communicator ring and left.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Holly flew up to the manor's front door.

To be completely blunt, she hardly remembered getting there. The normally long journey didn't seem to take any time at all. She dazedly remembered somehow lying her way through security to get a shuttle to the surface and arriving topside. It was storming in Ireland when she arrived, but she hardly noticed as she got out and flew up high, floating among the storm clouds. She was soaked in minutes, but she hardly noticed. All she felt was a sort of…. numb detachment. Even the cold hardly bothered her.

She hovered a few feet above the steps so she could reach the bell. She didn't bother to shield, not caring, and probably not able to anyway, cold as she was. She was almost vibrating already.

Holly pressed the bell.

Nothing happened. She didn't even hear the distant sound of the doorbell ringing inside the manor. Frowning, she waited a handful of minutes and pressed it again.

This time, it was only a few minutes before the door opened from the inside. Butler stared grimly down at her soaked form. "Holly," he greeted, but his tone wasn't as welcoming as it had always been. If anything, he sounded more somber than usual.

Holly shivered and looked up at him. "H-hi. W-where's A-Artemis?" She hadn't noticed until she tried to speak that her teeth were chattering.

Butler looked down at her for a long minute before sighing and shaking his head slowly. He stepped away from the door, holding it open enough for her to slip through. A blast of warm air hit her, and she shuddered. "You'd better come in," he said at last. "You're going to freeze to death out there."

Confused, but not protesting, Holly stepped inside, watching Butler as he pulled the door shut behind her. "S-so w-where is he?" she asked again.

Butler turned and looked down at her again. Finally, after another minute, he turned away again. "He's not here," he said simply, starting to walk towards the kitchen.

Holly followed him, uncomprehending. "W-what? But...w-where is he then?"

He didn't stop, didn't even glance back at her. "He's not here, Holly. We don't know where he went. He just _left_."

"Left?" Holly repeated. The warm air had finally warmed her up enough her teeth stopped chattering together. "When? Why? That doesn't make any sense. I mean...you're his bodyguard. Why would he go anywhere without you?"

"You ask me like I know. I just told you I don't. And as for why, the only thing that makes sense is it has something to do with you."

"_Me_?" Holly stopped in the doorway of the kitchen. Butler continued in without looking at her. "What does him picking up and leaving have to do with me?"

"Well, I imagine it has something to do with whatever you two fought about yesterday," Butler told her as he returned to the stove, stirring something that was in a pot atop it, "Considering he took off shortly after you did."

Holly frowned. That...didn't sound like good news at all to her. Where could he possibly have gone? How was she supposed to chase him down to talk to him now? Especially if he didn't want to be found...well, it was a safe bet that she wouldn't find him.

Feeling more guilty with each second that passed, Holly looked at Butler again. "You really don't have any idea where he went? At all?"

"He didn't exactly check with me before leaving, Holly," Butler snapped, sounding irritated.

"Yeah, but...you're his bodyguard, Butler. Don't you have some way you can track him or something?"

Butler stopped stirring and turned to look at her. "Holly, I've told you everything I know. Trust me, if I knew where he went, I'd tell you. He looked pretty miserable before he left, and more than slightly ticked off. I usually tracked him from his phone or some technology, in the rare case I ever left his side, but he didn't take any of it with him. He's not stupid. Most of his clothes are still here, and nearly all his possessions, including the phone and even his laptop. Alright?"

It most certainly wouldn't have been alright, but suddenly Holly had an idea. "So you can't track him...but maybe I could.. if he still had his communicator ring."

Butler sighed and turned back to the stove. "I don't know, Holly," he said, suddenly sounding tired. "I have no idea if he still had it on or not. I didn't see it when I searched his room, though."

Holly nodded. She didn't have much hope of it, but even if he wasn't wearing it, perhaps he still had it with him. Assuming, of course, that the reason Butler couldn't find it wasn't because he had smashed it to smithereens, whether out of anger or desire not to be caught at wherever he went off to.

She was starting to feel as tired as what Butler had just sounded. She sighed and shook her head. "Alright. Well, I'll give it a shot. I'll let you know if I find anything for it."

Butler nodded. "You're welcome to check his study and his room over again to see if you can find anything I may have missed before you go. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did."

Holly nodded. "I think I'll take you up on that. Just to be safe." She smiled wearily at him and walked out of the room.

Heading upstairs, she checked his bedroom first. It was exceptionally neat, as always - maybe even a little more so now, as if the human had taken the time to clean up before leaving. Frowning to herself, she started checking the room over. She found nothing. Then she moved on to his bathroom, since it was adjoined, and finally to his study.

All of them came up absolutely clean...literally. All of them were cleaned to perfection, pristine, and most importantly (and disappointingly), nothing was out of place. Everything was there, and she found nothing, no hint at all of where the human had taken off to. Her only consolation was that there actually was one thing missing, one very important thing.

Artemis's communicator ring. It was still gone, nowhere to be found. More than likely, this meant that he had either destroyed it, hidden it extremely well, or taken it with him.

There was only one way to find out, and that was to try to track it. If it was destroyed, it would be unlocatable. If it were hidden, then it was more than likely here at the manor, so it was a dead end. And if it came up somewhere else…

Holly activated her communicator and, holding her breath, pressed down the tracking button.


End file.
